LA Lakers Coaching Search: Phil Jackson Is Not The Right Choice

Hold your horses folks, there’s a reason the word retire exists. According to dictionary.com, the word “retire” means, “to withdraw from office, business, or active life, usually because of age.”

Well, in case you forgot, that’s exactly what Jackson did when he retired from coaching 2 years ago. Aside from his health issues, the truth of the matter he’s too old.

Don’t get me wrong, I undeniably recognize Jackson as one of the greatest coaches of all time in any sport. The man has 11 rings, that’s no coincidence. But, he’s been around the game a long, long time and nobody can hang around forever.

Bringing Jackson back to coach this star studded Laker team is far from an immediate solution. If anything, it will put even more pressure on an already struggling team.

Why risk your legacy Jackson?

Granted, you didn’t exactly go out on top, but maybe it’s time to accept you may have lost that touch. Can that happen to coaches? A question yet to be answered, but something to think about as this Jackson-saga progresses.

Seemingly, nobody on the Lakers has an issue with Phil coming back. However, it’s important to understand this would likely result in coach-less road games for Los Angeles considering it’s very unlikely he makes every trip with the team.

It’s time for L.A. to begin thinking about moving forward, not backwards. I get it, you want everything to be perfect for Kobe’s last few years in the purple and gold, but the truth of the matter is that the Laker franchise has treated Kobe mighty fine since he’s entered the league. Rarely has his played for a team not considered a contender.

The Lakers have always been about winning now. They’ve never been the franchise that goes out and drafts or trades for marquee young talent. But, what they are doing now is reminiscent of 2004 when they signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton.

Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, and Antwan Jamison are all guys past their prime. The bench is subpar and Phil or no Phil, the Lakers still have a lot of holes to fill.

In an effort to move forward it’s not a good idea to bring back the coach who won his first title with the franchise over a decade ago.

Despite the common belief, Jackson is not the right guy for the Lakers, at least not anymore. They can learn this the easy way or the hard way, but it’s going to become clear one way or another.